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India-Pakistan

Pakistani troops killed in clash

2008-01-14

At least seven Pakistani soldiers have been killed in a clash with pro-Taleban militants in a tribal area near the Afghan border, the military says. Twenty-three tribal militants were also killed in the fighting in Mohmand agency, the army said. Fighting broke out after militants ambushed the troops, it said. Sounds like the home team didn't fare well in their first match with the furriners visitors. Attacks by pro-Taleban militants in Pakistan's north-west have soared in the past year, but Mohmand agency has seen relatively little of the violence. "The militants attacked a security forces convoy and the forces responded with the help of local people, killing 23 of the attackers," military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad told the AFP news agency. Reports said the army convoy was travelling to Mohmand's main town of Ghalanai when it came under attack. Residents said the security forces responded with artillery fire and helicopter gunships were called in, Rooters news agency reports. Gunships and artillery are nice as long as you know how to use them. And where to point them. Doesn't sound like that happened, unless the Talibunnies dragged their bleeding buddies off the game field.

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India-Pakistan

5 killed in first ever Nowshera suicide blast

2007-12-16

NOWSHERA: A suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden bicycle into a military checkpost killing five people and injuring 11 others here on Saturday, Daily Times staff reporter quoted local police and army as saying. Witnesses, however, said eight people were killed. Four of them were army personnel while the rest were civilians, the witnesses added. The attack occurred at a checkpoint near the gate of an army school in Nowshera, AP quoted ISPR Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad as saying. AFP, AP and Online put the death toll at 5. District Police Officer (DPO) Mubarak Zeb told Daily Times that six people, including the suicide bomber, were killed as he detonated himself at the entrance of the Army Supply Corps (ASC) centre. “The bomber was riding on a bicycle. He detonated the explosives fastened to his body as he reached the army check post around 9.18am,” said the police officer, adding that 11 more people had sustained injuries in the blast.

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India-Pakistan

15 militants, 6 soldiers killed in Waziristan

2007-12-13

Around 15 militants were killed by gunship helicopters moments after local Taliban ambushed a military convoy killing six soldiers and wounding 20 others, an army spokesman said on Wednesday. “Six troops were martyred in the ambush while 20 regular and paramilitary troops were injured,” Maj Gen Waheed Arshad told Daily Times. The convoy was en route from Miranshah to Razmak, and was attacked near the Asadkhel area, 40 kilometres south of Miranshah, agency headquarters of North Waziristan, local security officials said. “Fifteen militants were killed when the troops retaliated and gunship helicopters pounded suspected militant hideouts on hilltops,” Waheed said. The Wednesday casualties were the highest since the army kicked out militants from Swat. “First a bomb planted on the roadside exploded when the convoy was passing through the area. After that, militants hiding on both sides of the road fired rockets at them,” a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity. There was no official word about reports that four troops succumbed to their injuries taking the death toll to 10, according to staff report. Maj Gen Arshad Waheed said security forces backed by gunship helicopters spotted the fleeing militants and opened fire, killing 15 of them in “immediate retaliation”, AP reported. Air cover: Waheed said military convoys were provided air cover, and in Wednesday ambush the gunship helicopters covering the convoy attacked the militants, staff report continues. Six troops injured: Also, six soldiers were wounded in separate roadside bomb blasts targeting military convoys in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan. Two soldiers were injured when their convoy was attacked near the Alexander Fort with an improvised explosive device. The vehicle they were travelling in was also damaged in the blast. Four soldiers were wounded when a remote-controlled bomb exploded as their convoy was heading to Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan region, a local official told AFP. They were reported to be in serious condition. He said another crudely made bomb exploded harmlessly near a checkpost on the outskirts of Miranshah, while soldiers also defused two other bombs in the same region.

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India-Pakistan

Mullah Fazlullah's brother held: Stray shell kills 11 civilians, 40 militants arrested

2007-11-30

Around 11 civilians were killed and 9 wounded when a stray army shell hit a residential area in Swat District, officials said on Thursday. Meanwhile, around 40 suspected militants, including a brother of the pro-Taliban militant leader, Maulana Fazlullah, were arrested, officials told AFP. The shell destroyed a house in Allahabad, a village in the Swat valley, as security forces continued an offensive against the followers of Fazlullah late on Wednesday, a police official said. Eleven members of the family died, while nine more were wounded, said the official, Mohibullah Khan. However, military spokesman Major Amjad Iqbal told Reuters that he had no information about civilian casualties in the village but confirmed that a clash had taken place there on Thursday after militants fired rockets at troops. “We responded and fired into the area from where the fire came. People should not shelter any militants in their residences,” Iqbal said in Mingora. Cheeze. The voice of sweet reason in Pakistain. Who'da thunkit? Police and residents said a two-year-old boy and his mother were among the dead, who otherwise were mostly males aged 16 to 22, AFP reported. The shredded bodies of two victims were covered in white sheets, witnesses said, adding that residents were protesting against the deaths. Protest and be damned. Hospital official Jamil Khan said 12 injured people, including three women, had been brought to the hospital and around six were in a serious condition. Top Military Spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said security forces had arrested Maulana Fazal Ahmed along with other militants at a checkpost located between Chakdara and Mingora, Online reported. Were they disguised as girls? They usually are. They included a nephew of Maulana Sirajuddin, the militants’ main spokesman, and a 20-year-old student carrying a suicide vest, both of whom were traveling in the same car when they were detained, Amjad said. "You there, in the suicide vest! Stickem up!" "Hokay." The bodies of six militants, including two Uzbeks, were found on Wednesday, Arshad said. Up to 220 militants and 15 soldiers have been killed in the last 10 days.

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India-Pakistan

Troops amassing for Dir operation

2007-11-24

Fresh reinforcements have reached Swat amid increasing fears of an operation against suspected militants in Dir district bordering Afghanistan’s Kunar province where Al Qaeda and the Taliban were giving a stiff resistance to the American and coalition forces, officials and eyewitnesses said on Friday. Authorities disconnected cell-phone services during the army movement to prevent the militants from using the service to plot attacks on the arriving soldiers. “The mobile-phone service was restored at 4:00pm,” said Jehanzeb, a shopkeeper. “The soldiers are positioning themselves in Timergara, the Lower Dir’s headquarters, and, as we know, this district is underlined for hosting militants, even foreigners,” said official sources in Peshawar wishing not to be named. Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad played down the significance of increased troops’ activity in Lower Dir. “We are there since long,” he told Daily Times. He, however, stopped short of saying that any operation in that district was also imminent. Army helicopters were patrolling the area to foil any attack on the security forces, said residents who were stuck at their homes due to a curfew. Food supply: Authorities imposed a food blockade and a 12-hour curfew in Swat, AFP quoted officials as saying on Friday. Intelligence officials said food supplies to the areas where militants are holed up had been stopped. “Ten trucks loaded with food supplies were ordered last night to stop in Mingora,” an intelligence official said. The residents told Daily Times that there was food shortage in Kabal, Matta, Kuzza Banda and adjoining areas. Government spokesman Amjad Iqbal said the curfew had been imposed because of the “operational needs” of the security forces. Civilian killed: Akbar Khan, a civilian, was killed in Kabal tehsil as the security forces mistook him as a “potential threat”, the residents said. A government official regretted the loss of an “innocent civilian”. The military, however, said, “Police sources have confirmed that two suspected individuals heading towards Kabal police station were signalled to stop. They did not stop and therefore were fired upon.“Resultantly, one individual was killed and the other, who was believed to be wearing a suicide belt, fled the scene.” Gen Waheed said the media was “misreporting” about civilian casualties. He also denied that the government was doing little to help the displaced people. “The army is setting up a camp for such people in Risalpur,” he said. He gave no timeline as to when the Swat operation would be wound up. He said ground forces would be used if needed. APP quoted an ISPR official as saying on Friday that the security forces arrested four miscreants in the Fazagat area of Swat when they were trying to flee the area disguised as women.

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India-Pakistan

25 militants killed as army recaptures Kabal police station

2007-11-22

MINGORA: Security forces attacked mountaintop positions of pro-Taliban militants and recaptured Kabal police station in Swat, killing around 25 militants on Wednesday, army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AP. Earlier, three security personnel and six civilians were killed in Kabal tehsil as the local population continued to move to Mingora, Saidu Sharif and Faizabad in the face of a possible full-fledged operation by the army against militants. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Daily Times that three security personnel were killed and five were wounded in a rocket attack at a Frontier Constabulary camp in Kabal Golf Grounds on Wednesday morning. Locals said four civilians were killed when a mortar hit the house of Sardarul Mulk in Kabal tehsil. The slain included Mulk’s brother, wife and two daughters. Mulk himself sustained injuries in the incident and was hospitalised. An artillery shell landed in the house of Haji Toray in Kabal, killing his two granddaughters, said local reporter Shahzad. He added that Station House Officer (SHO) Muhammad Ghani and two constables had been injured as armed militants attacked the Kabal Police Station on Wednesday. In retaliation, security forces from the FC camp in Kanjoo and Saidu Sharif airport targeted the attackers’ positions with artillery and mortar fire, said the reporter. ‘Civilians targeted’: Residents of Kala Kalay, where mortar fire killed four civilians, alleged that troops were targeting the civilian population. They said 15 mortar and artillery shells had landed in populated areas since early morning. Another five people were injured as a mortar struck a passenger van headed to Mingora from the Totano Banda area of Swat, witnesses said. The injured were rushed to the Saidu Sharif hospital where one of them was in serious condition. Meanwhile, hundreds of families have arrived in Mingora, Saidu Sharif and Faizabad to escape from the precarious situation elsewhere in Swat district. Residents of the three areas have offered shelter to hundreds of homeless people in their homes, shops and offices, said Shahzad. Residents in Kabal said gunship helicopters also pounded suspected militant hideouts early on Wednesday, AFP reported. Troops “have cleared a hub of resistance of militants from a prominent height” overlooking a road leading to Alpuri, Shangla’s main town, an army statement said. Suicide bomber killed: Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said troops had also shot at a suspected suicide bomber who refused to stop his car on the approach to the valley’s Saidu Sharif airport, AP reported. “During the firing the car blew up as it contained explosives,” Arshad said. Curfew: The Swat district administration announced a 10-hour curfew in Kabal late on Wednesday, a Daily Times staff report adds. The curfew will remain in place from 8pm on Wednesday until 6am today (Thursday), Swat District Coordination Officer (DCO) Arshad Majeed told Daily Times. Although the local administration did not mention the reason behind the curfew, residents believe it had been imposed owing to the troops’ movement.

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India-Pakistan

'Up to 700 militants operating in troubled areas of NWFP'

2007-11-16

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said on Thursday that up to 700 militants were operating in small groups in various areas of the NWFP. In an interview with CNBC, a private TV channel, the ISPR DG said, “They (militants) operate in small groups and terrorise civilians, forcing them to cooperate with them.” He said the majority of people in the area was peace-loving. They are true Pakistanis, he said, adding that the locals did not support the militants. He said all militants were not local. He said many of them were criminals who came from various parts of the country. “There are also reports regarding the presence of foreigners,” he added. Maj Gen Arshad said the citizens of the area were tired of militancy and were of the view that the militants were defaming Islam. There are several incidents of torture and victimisation of those who did not cooperate with them, he said, citing the beheading innocent people. He said that there were reports of links between the militants and Lal Masjid. He said the army was called in because the situation was going out of control in Swat. Earlier, the NWFP government had been taking action against militants in collaboration with law enforcement agencies. He said army gunship helicopters were taking action only after they had confirmed reports of militant hideouts, ammunition dumps and check posts. He said ground troops had not been mobilised so far. He said the army was taking targeted action because it wanted to avoid civilian causalities. Maj Gen Arshad said that earlier, the army had carried out unprecedented development work in FATA to bring the area at par with other areas of the country. In the education sector, he said, a quota for students from FATA had been allocated in various cadet schools and colleges. “100 seats have been allocated for FATA children in army public schools,” he added. He said the country was facing a national challenge in extremism and terrorism.

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India-Pakistan

35 soldiers injured in Kabal bomb attack

2007-11-10

MINGORA/MIRANSHAH: A bomb hit a paramilitary soldiers’ vehicle in Kabal tehsil on Friday injuring 35 soldiers and some civilians, as a cleric warned residents Sharia laws would be strictly enforced, officials said. “An improvised explosive device attack injured 35 people, including Frontier Constabulary, Frontier Corps and police personnel and some civilians,” military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Daily Times. Two badly injured soldiers were rushed to Peshawar for treatment. Others were taken to Saidu Sharif hospital. Later, Maj Gen Waheed Arshad told AFP the blast killed two FC soldiers. Arshad told PTV five soldiers were wounded in the incident. Fazlullah’s aide Muhammad Alam told Madayan residents they must begin observing Shariah laws strictly. He demanded men grow beards and women veil themselves properly.

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India-Pakistan

Hundreds flee as ‘operation’ launched in Swat

2007-10-27

MINGORA/PESHAWAR: Security forces battled with armed supporters of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah here on Friday, killing one militant and injuring three others, while bodies of four abducted security personnel were found on a roadside, witnesses and officials said. Two civilians were also killed in the clashes, as hundreds of residents of Imam Dheri started leaving the area fearing a full-scale operation, Online reported. Any drums? Can't have a lashkar without drums. Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman Sirajuddin confirmed the attack on the cleric’s headquarters in Imam Dheri and the death of a militant. He said that an 80-member delegation was heading for Islamabad to hold talks with the federal government on the invitation of Political Affairs Minister Amir Muqam when the security forces besieged Fazlullah’s headquarters. “Heavy weapons and helicopters were used when the forces surrounded Fazlullah’s headquarters,” security sources told Daily Times. Excellent! Did they level the place? The local Taliban set up barricades at Sharialm, Chaprial and Shakar Dara in Matta Tehsil on Friday morning and took ‘suspicious’ people hostage at gunpoint, locals told Daily Times. The Pak troops should take 'suspicious' local Talibs hostage. Then shoot them. Three Frontier Corps personnel and a policeman were reportedly among the ‘suspicious’ people the Taliban took hostage from the Chaprial and Pir Killi areas of Matta Tehsil. The militants later dumped the bodies of the four law enforcement personnel in Shakar Dara. NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said they received “unconfirmed reports” of the abducted soldiers’ killing. The militants paraded the soldiers’ bodies in their vehicles while holding the head of a soldier in the air to show their barbarity, he added. A journalist of a local television channel was also taken hostage in Imam Dheri on suspicion of being an “undercover agent”, but was released after four hours. Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said army helicopters joined the operation, and troops were sent to the region as reserves to help local authorities maintain law and order, if requested, AP reported.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistani forces launch offensive against militants in Swat valley

2007-10-27

(KUNA) — Hundreds of Pakistani troops with aerial support launched an operation against a local holy man militant commander and his supporters in the once peaceful Swat valley in northern frontier province, NWFP, a day after huge explosions killed over 30 security personnel and wounded dozens others in the area. Paramilitary troopers, after Friday noon prayers, raided a seminary of local militants' commander Maulana Fazlullah at Imamdehri village, security sources told KUNA. They said a fierce gunbattle erupted between the supporters of Maulana and troopers when they tried to enter into the seminary. They added that the two sides were still exchanging heavy fire, adding that troops fired mortar shells as well. According to media reports, at least six gunship helicopters were hovering in the area and sounds of explosions could also be heard. Sources said that forces had taken control of the militants' training camp adjacent to the religious seminary. Another source claimed that at least five militants had been killed and several, including security men, were wounded in the ongoing offensive. The source said the two sides were using heavy weapons against each other. The operation was launched a day after in a suicide explosion that caused ammunition in military truck to explode, killed over 30 security personnel and wounded several others. Important safety tip here: If you need a ride in a war zone, probably the ammunition truck isn't the best ride to have. You might think seriously about walking. If there are 40 of you, you might want to wait for a bus. The attack has been seen in reaction to recent troops reinforcement in the valley in the aftermath of rising militancy and attacks on security forces. Military Spokesman Waheed Arshad said troops had been dispatched at the request of provincial government to improve the situation of law and order. A few hours ahead of the operation, Caretaker Chief Minister NWFP Shamsul Mulk told Pakistan Television that the government had no intention to launch a specific operation in Swat if the efforts to establish its writ are not resisted. Militancy and extremism is on the rise in once peaceful touristic Swat valley since Tahreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM), Fazlullah's Al-Qaeda linked banned group, established its strongholds in the area. Despite the government ban on his group and its illegal radio station, Fazlullah, also known as "Mullah Radio," has been broadcasting fiery anti-government and anti-west speeches on his illegal FM radio station. A few hours ahead of the operation, Caretaker Chief Minister NWFP Shamsul Mulk told Pakistan Television that the government had no intention to launch a specific operation in Swat if the efforts to establish its writ are not resisted. He said the writ of government was weak in the area and the government was trying to strengthen it by deploying more troops. If these efforts are not resisted the law enforcers will not go in pursuit of anyone to his doorstep, the chief minister said. Hundreds flee as ‘operation’ launched in Swat Forces battle with Fazlullah supporters One militant killed, bodies of 4 abducted soldiers found Militants fire at copter carrying FC IG Musharraf directs officials to avoid civilian losses By Saleem Athar and Manzoor Ali Shah MINGORA/PESHAWAR: Security forces battled with armed supporters of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah here on Friday, killing one militant and injuring three others, while bodies of four abducted security personnel were found on a roadside, witnesses and officials said. Two civilians were also killed in the clashes, as hundreds of residents of Imam Dheri started leaving the area fearing a full-scale operation, Online reported. Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman Sirajuddin confirmed the attack on the cleric’s headquarters in Imam Dheri and the death of a militant. He said that an 80-member delegation was heading for Islamabad to hold talks with the federal government on the invitation of Political Affairs Minister Amir Muqam when the security forces besieged Fazlullah’s headquarters. “Heavy weapons and helicopters were used when the forces surrounded Fazlullah’s headquarters,” security sources told Daily Times. The local Taliban set up barricades at Sharialm, Chaprial and Shakar Dara in Matta Tehsil on Friday morning and took ‘suspicious’ people hostage at gunpoint, locals told Daily Times. Three Frontier Corps personnel and a policeman were reportedly among the ‘suspicious’ people the Taliban took hostage from the Chaprial and Pir Killi areas of Matta Tehsil. The militants later dumped the bodies of the four law enforcement personnel in Shakar Dara. "What'ya bring 'em in for, Mahmoud?" "Looked suspicious to me, Yer Holiness." "Okay. Kill 'em." NWFP Home Secretary Badshah Gul Wazir said they received “unconfirmed reports” of the abducted soldiers’ killing. The militants paraded the soldiers’ bodies in their vehicles while holding the head of a soldier in the air to show their barbarity, he added. That's unconfirmed barbarity, mind you. A journalist of a local television channel was also taken hostage in Imam Dheri on suspicion of being an “undercover agent”, but was released after four hours. Military spokesman Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said army helicopters joined the operation, and troops were sent to the region as reserves to help local authorities maintain law and order, if requested, AP reported. Helicopter attacked: Separately, militants fired at a helicopter carrying FC Inspector General Maj Gen Alam Khattak who had come to inspect his troops deployed at Fizza Ghat. They missed the target and the helicopter made safe landing, said a local police official. Musharraf briefed: The top military authorities and the NWFP governor have briefed President Pervez Musharraf on the operation in Swat, Online reported. Musharraf has asked them to avoid loss of life and property of civilians. NWFP Home Minister Shahzada Gustasap Yes, you read that name right. It's Pasatsug, spelled backwards. said the government was still trying to pacify the situation through peaceful means, while a meeting of the NWFP cabinet hinted at the promulgation of the Provincial Shariah Act 2003 to the Provincially Administrated Tribal Areas (PATA). The meeting also decided to implement the Nizam-e-Aadal Ordinance in the Malakand and Swat areas after removing the ‘legal hitches’ with the consultation of the Peshawar High Court chief justice. It also considered allowing an FM Radio channel in the area for “peaceful teachings”. The cabinet also discussed a proposal for setting up Shariah courts and appointment of qazis.

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India-Pakistan

Army fumes at BBC interview of abducted soldiers

2007-10-12

The chief military spokesman has reacted angrily to a BBC report in which three army officers held hostage by the Taliban in South Waziristan were interviewed. “This is an attempt to carry out propaganda,” Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad told Daily Times on Thursday after militants led by Baitullah Mehsud allowed the BBC access to the three officers for the first time since they and some 250 other soldiers were abducted on August 30. BBC reporter Haroon Rashid wrote that the officers “did not want to talk but were pressurised by the Taliban to do so”. Gen Arshad warned Pakistani journalists against “becoming spokesmen of militants”. He said the Taliban wanted to use the interview as a propaganda tool to press the government to meet the militants’ demands for the soldiers’ release. Commanding officer Lt-Col Zafar, Major Ateeq Azam and Lieutenant Farakh Mansoor were the three officers the BBC interviewed. Maj Ateeq said he hoped the military command would do something for their release. Col Zafar said he was leading a convoy taking rations to soldiers in Ladah from Shakai when tribesmen stopped the convoy. “We were not going for a military operation,” he added. A spokesman for Baitullah said the government is showing little urgency in securing the release of the captured soldiers.

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India-Pakistan

Taliban 'capture' 28 FC men in Waziristan

2007-10-07

Taliban militants claimed to have kidnapped 28 paramilitary soldiers, as one army jawan died and many others were injured when a military convoy was ambushed in North Waziristan on Saturday, officials said. Local Taliban spokesman Ahmedullah Ahmed said that 28 paramilitary soldiers were kidnapped in the last 36 hours from the Speenwam area near Mir Ali town. “We have kidnapped 28 Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers from different checkposts in Speenwam near Mir Ali during the last 36 hours,” he told Daily Times by phone from an undisclosed location. He did not say whether the kidnapped soldiers had put up any resistance before being kidnapped, as previous reports have alleged that soldiers have surrendered without resistance. No kidnappings: Military spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad termed the Taliban spokesman’s claim as “wrong” and said no FC jawan had been captured. He, however, confirmed the militants’ ambush on the army convoy. One dead, 18 injured: Meanwhile, the ambush on the military convoy was staged 10 kilometres west of Miranshah with the attack “bearing the hallmark of Al Qaeda” — killing one soldier and injuring 18 others, a tribal elder said. “They first detonated IEDs, then fired on soldiers and badly damaged five vehicles, including trucks and pick-ups,” the tribal elder in Babari Adda, where the ambush took place, told Daily Times. He said the security forces returned fire and killed one civilian who was looking out of his window to see what was happening. According to security officials, the military convoy was returning to Miranshah from the Data Khel region.

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